Stormwater
City of Spokane's stormwater drainage system is a large, complex network of engineered conveyances that are designed to take rainfall and direct it away from roads, buildings, and other public and private property. Here’s how:
- 300+ miles of separate storm sewers discharge stormwater to specially designed areas that contain engineered soil, gravel, and sand to filter out pollutants, the Spokane River and Latah Creek.
- An integrated sewer and stormwater system. 400+ miles of combined stormwater and wastewater sewers carry stormwater to the City's wastewater treatment plant when it rains. During moderate to heavy rainfall and snowmelt events, a combination of stormwater and untreated sewage is held in large tanks to allow runoff to be treated and cleaned before it reaches the Spokane River.
- Swale Yeah! You may not know a swale when you see one. Vegetated, landscaped shallow depressions are technically called bioinfiltration treatment facilities. They discharge stormwater into the ground after treating it by trapping sediments, oil, grease, and other pollutants. There are thousands of them in Spokane.
